Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

Quick & Dirty: It was refreshing to finally read about a normal girl falling in love with a normal boy. This story was beautifully done and so easy to relate to. I would highly recommend it to all new adult fans out there looking for something a little different from your normal contemporary romance novel.

Opening Sentence: KAT CHEWED ON her pen and studied her tutor’s bent head.

Excerpt: No

The Review:

Kat Caruso has never had a hard time getting what she wants in life. She has always been a pretty girl and even though school didn’t come easy she always seem to find a way to get by. But she is now in her sophomore year at Bowler University and she is failing statistics. She is already on academic probation and if she fails anymore classes she will be kicked out of school. Kat’s problem isn’t that she’s not smart she just has a really hard time concentrating and sometimes she gets things confused. For a long time she has been able to hide how much she struggles, but she is going to have to get help if she expects to continue her education. When her new tutor shows up for their first session its none other than her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend Alex Stone.

Alex has always been smart and he is going to school to be a lawyer or judge someday. Girls on the other hand haven’t been as easy for him. He had a serious girlfriend in high school that he dated for years, but last summer she cheated on him. He hasn’t really been interested in anyone else until recently. Kat is beautiful, funny, and smart, but she also happens to be his childhood best friend’s girlfriend. Is a girl worth throwing away a relationship he has spent his whole life building?

Kat is a beautiful girl that grew up in a happy and loving home. All her life she has felt like she was stupid because school was always difficult for her. Socially she has never had any type of problem and one of the only reasons she made it through high school was because she got people to help her. But college is a whole other thing and she finds that she is really struggling to pass her classes. She soon finds out that she has a learning disability and I found that so interesting. I haven’t read many books where the main character has a learning disability and being inside Kat’s head was eye opening to me. She is this normal girl that has something so many people in real life have to deal with on a daily basis, and that made her really easy for me to connect with her. I loved that even though she has difficulties she doesn’t let that stop her from living her dreams of getting a college degree. She was an amazing character that was very inspirational and someone you can look up to!

Alex was such a sweet guy and I loved that he was nerdy. Honestly, in real life Alex is the type of guy I would want to date. I will admit that I have a thing for bad boys in books but when it comes to my actual personal life, I would never date 99% of the boys I love in books. But Alex has so many qualities that make him someone you would really want to have a serious relationship with. He is smart, kind, and thoughtful. But he also has his faults like all great characters do and that just made him even cuter to me. It was refreshing to finally read a book that had a normal boy and normal girl fall in love. Yes, they have their problems but they were the type of problems everyday people deal with all the time. I loved Alex and I am so glad I got to read his story!

Make it Count was a fun realistic story that was so easy to connect with. The best thing about it was that it dealt with issues that are very common and can happen to anyone. So many contemporary books I read just cover the issues that are rare and only happen to a very small percentage of people. It was nice to finally read about normal characters that have a fairly normal life, but the story was in no way boring. The romance was adorable and very sexy. There was some serious sexual tension that slowly brewed over time. The plot had a few twists that I wasn’t quite expecting and in all honestly the story was just fun. There was great humor and lots of great drama to keep you interested. This is the first book in the series and I can’t wait to read the next book. I would highly recommend this story to anyone that is looking for a fun and sexy new adult book that is easy to relate to.

Notable Scene:

He cupped the back of her head with one hand while his other fisted her shirt at her lower back. But what gave him breath again was his lips on hers. They were soft and wet and Oh God, she’d opened her mouth. Her tongue slipped between his teeth and swiped his eagerly and then he kind of lost it.

He plunged into her at the same time he stumbled forward with a growl. Her back hit the wall, but she didn’t protest. In fact, she seemed to like it. She moaned and gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer, her fingernails digging through the thin fabric of his T-shirt.

She didn’t accept his kiss . She fought it. That’s what it felt like. A fight for power. Their teeth clacked and lips mashed and tongues clashed.

A tremor ran from the back of his neck all the way down to his heels, because this wasn’t the same dynamic they shared over a statistics book. Alec was no longer the teacher and Kat the docile student. This, her tongue tangled with his , her full breasts pressed against his chest and the scent of her citrus shampoo surrounding him in a light brown curtain . . . this was Kat’s world.